


The Bomb - The Complete Story

by Singerme



Category: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-02
Updated: 2013-11-01
Packaged: 2017-12-31 05:28:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1027772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Singerme/pseuds/Singerme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I wrote the first chapter of this as just a small moment in time between Lee and Amanda and many people asked me to make it into a complete story.  So I did.  Originally I had this set in the first of Season 3 but ended up moving it to the end of the 3rd season.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**The Bomb**

I don’t own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

Lee sat stiffly in the hospital room holding tightly to Amanda’s left hand as he watched her sleep; the IV attached to her right hand endlessly dripping lifesaving fluid into her veins. His beleaguered mind kept going back over the events of the day, trying in vain to figure out what exactly happened.

It had been a simple pick-up. All she had to do was go to the non-descript house in a non-descript part of town and pick up a non-descript package. It was not supposed to be a dangerous mission. That was why he’d allowed her to go in his place. But there was nothing non-descript about the bomb that blew the house apart and very nearly killed Amanda. It was very descript indeed.

Shaking his head, he kept thinking about the small thing that had saved her life. Of all things, a speeding ticket. She had been on her way and had gotten stuck behind a slow moving semi. The instructions for the pick-up had been very specific and ordered that she be there precisely at one pm. She had gone around the semi, in a rare show of speed and had immediately gotten pulled over for speeding. The ticket made her ten minutes late.

That ten minutes had saved her. If she’d arrived on time and had actually made it into the house, she would’ve died. As it was, she was almost to the porch when the house blew and a large section of the front wall had landed on her. “Very lucky.” The doctor had said.

“Hmpf.” He said out loud without thinking about it. “If she’d been lucky, she’d never have met me.”

“That’s not true.” A small raspy voice sounded from the bed. “The day I met you was my luckiest day.”

“Amanda?” Lee sat up and anxiously scanned her face. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a house hit me.” She gave him a small grin. “What happened?”

“A house hit you.” Lee grinned back, so happy to see her smile. “The pickup was a set-up.” He informed her. “Francine’s going over everything as we speak but Billy thinks they were aiming for me.” Lee ducked his head, trying to rein in his emotions before he looked back up at his partner. “Amanda, I am so sorry. You should’ve never been at that damn house to begin with. This is my fault.”

“Lee,” she tugged at the hand that still held hers. “It’s not your fault. Please.”

Lee heard the pleading in her voice and ducked his head again with a nod. “Yeah, well, maybe, but I promise you, Amanda, I will find whoever did this and I will make them pay for this.”

“You will do no such thing, Scarecrow.” Billy said as he entered the room. “Francine is more than capable of running this investigation and I have given her strict orders that you are not to go anywhere near it.” Turning from his top agent, he looked down at his newest one. “Hello, Amanda, how are you feeling?”

“I’m alright, Sir.” She smiled. “Or at least I will be, I think.”

“Billy,” Lee hissed. “You can’t keep me out of this investigation. It was me they were trying to kill and it was my partner that got hurt. You gotta let me in on this one.” Lee couldn’t explain it, even to himself at that moment, but finding out who had hurt Amanda and getting to them meant more than anything to him right then.

“I’m sorry, Scarecrow.” Billy shook his balding head. “But no. I don’t need you going on some personal vendetta and ruining any chances we may have of finding out who did this. Now you’re out of this one and that’s final.”

“Aw, come on, Billy.” Lee released Amanda’s hand and rose from the chair, agitatedly running his hand through his hair as he paced towards the window. “You can’t do this.”

“Oh yes I can,” Billy answered.

“Lee,” Amanda’s small quiet voice had more effect on Lee than Billy’s louder and gruffer voice. “Lee, please.”

She was pleading again, and he took a long deep breath before turning back to her. “Amanda… I… I have to… I…”

“Please, Lee.” The pleading wasn’t only in her voice. It was in her soft brown eyes as well and it stopped him in his tracks.

Although he had no idea how she’d done it, Amanda had found a way around his defenses and settled herself in his heart. And as each day passed, he found it increasingly more difficult to tell her no when she looked at him like that.

Taking another deep breath, he nodded finally. “Alright,” he said without his eyes leaving her face. “Alright, I’ll stay out of it for now. But, Billy, if Francine doesn’t find something pretty quick…”

“Francine is a consummate professional who knows her job.” Billy said, letting him know with his glare that he would brook no interference from Lee, top agent or not. When Lee didn’t respond, Billy satisfied himself that he had gotten through to him and his expression softened.

Turning to Amanda, he took her hand in both of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Amanda, I’m going to take Lee out of here for a while and let you get some more rest.”

“Sir?” Amanda asked. “What about my family? Has anyone called them? Do they know…”

“I called your mother, Amanda.” Lee told her. “I told her that you and I were being called out of town on an urgent shoot and that you’d call her later.”

“Okay, thank you, Lee.” She smiled back up at him.

Lee started to turn away and follow Billy from the room, but an impulse overtook him and without thinking about it, he followed up on it. Bending down over the bed, he tenderly placed his lips over hers, softly and sweetly kissing her before rising back up and heading for the door.

Just before leaving the room, he looked back over at her and grinned. “I’ll see you later.”

Amanda nodded but for once was at a loss of words as she watched him walk out the door. Smiling broadly, she settled back against her pillow. “I sure hope, Scarecrow.” She whispered. “Cause that kiss hit me harder than the bomb did.”

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**The Bomb 2**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

As Lee followed Billy down the hall towards the elevator, his mind lingered with Amanda. He hadn’t meant to kiss her. At least not like that.

Amanda was a friend. Nothing more than his friend.

Wasn’t she?

But with every step he took down that hall, the certainty grew within him that she had become more than ‘just a friend’ and he was fooling himself to try and believe anything else. But that certainty filled him with anger as he thought about how bad she’d been hurt and how easily she could’ve been killed.

“Billy,” Lee grabbed his boss’ arm as they waited for the elevator. “I know your reasons for keeping me out of this, but I don’t care. I want in. Amanda was damn near killed today in my place. Now, this is personal, Billy. You gotta let me in on it.”

Billy took a deep breath and looked down at the hand on his arm before raising saddened brown eyes back to his employee and friend. “I’m sorry, Scarecrow, but no. You’re right, this is personal. Too personal. You wouldn’t be objective enough. Francine…”

“Francine doesn’t care about Amanda the way…” Lee caught himself. He tried a different tack. “It was me they were trying to kill, Billy. I should’ve been the one at that house when it blew, not Amanda.”

“I know. I know.” Billy’s voice was soft and sympathetic. He did know, all of it. He’d known Lee had feelings for Amanda before Lee did. And he’d had to have been blind not to see the way Amanda looked at Lee.

But that was exactly why he should keep Lee out of it. If he let Lee work the case, he could get himself killed trying to avenge what had happened to the woman they all cared about. And yet, thinking about it, he realized that if he didn’t let him work it, Lee would do so anyway.

Alone.

Without a net.

Like he had already done several times when Amanda was in trouble.

Billy sighed and shook his head. “Alright. Alright.  I’ll let you in.  But only under certain conditions.” He raised his hand to stop Lee, before he could voice any objections. “My rules, Scarecrow. Take it or leave it.”

Lee clenched his jaw, wanting to protest even more, but he knew Billy well enough to know better. Whatever part Billy was going to let him play was the only part he was going to get and still stay within the Agency. “Okay.” He sighed. “Your rules.”

Billy studied the younger man for several seconds before finally satisfying himself that Lee would do as he said. “Alright, then. Now, first. Francine will still be in charge of the case and she will report only to me. Secondly. Anything she asks you to do, you will do it, without question or protest. Thirdly. You will not try to run leads on your own without first having Francine or I review them. And most importantly, Scarecrow…” Billy paused and made sure Lee could see the seriousness in his eyes. “You will not go off half-cocked with blood in your eye, when we do develop a suspect. Is that understood?”

Lee pursed his mouth even tighter, chafing at the rules Billy had just laid down. He was not used to be under another agents thumb. Especially not Francine’s. But he could tell by the look in his eye, that Billy would brook no objection.

“Is that understood?” Billy asked again.

Lee took a deep breath and nodded, dragging a hand through his hair. “Yeah, yeah, I read you, Billy. Loud and clear. I’ll agree to work under Francine’s direction.”

Billy took another long look at his agent before turning back to the elevator and pressing the button for down. “Good, let’s get back to the office then and see if Francine’s found anything yet.”

As the door to the elevator began to close, Lee took another look down the hallway, towards Amanda’s room. Keeping his promise to Billy was going to be harder than ever now and he knew it. But working under Francine was better than being kept out of it entirely.  And if he knew anything, he could not stand to be left out of this in any way.

As the elevator carried he and Billy down, Lee’s thoughts turned back to how it started.  How Amanda had gotten caught up in this and how he wished for once, he’d refused her help……….

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**The Bomb 3**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

“Good morning!” Amanda greeted Lee with a big smile as she walked in the door of the Q Bureau.

Lee, phone pressed to his ear, glanced up and gave her a slight nod.  She could tell he wasn’t exactly in the best of moods. “Look, Billy.  Can’t this wait?” He spoke tersely. “I have several things to do today. I have a meet at eleven and a pick-up at one not to mention… … Yeah, I know. I know. But Billy… … … Billy, I… … … … … Alright, alright… … Yeah, I’ll see what I can do.” He seethed as he slammed the phone down into its receiver.

“That sounded like Mr. Melrose had something awfully important for you to do.” Amanda commented.

“Doesn’t he always?” Lee growled. Seeing a small look of hurt cross her face, he sighed and shook his head. “Ah, I’m sorry, Amanda. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just in bad mood I guess. Too many things to do and not enough time to do them.”

Amanda smiled gently at him and crossed over to his desk, placing a small plate of cookies in front of him. “Can I help?”

Absently taking a cookie, Lee shook his head as he took a bite. “These are really good.” He mumbled around the oatmeal raisin in his mouth. Taking a drink of his coffee, he gave her a grateful smile. “I appreciate the offer, Amanda, but no. Besides don’t you have a report or something, Billy wanted done?”

“Well, yeah, but I’ve almost got that finished. I worked on it last night after Mother and the boys went to bed.” She told him. “I just have a little bit of typing to do on it and I can have it completed by noon. Are you sure I can’t at least do that pick up for you?”

Lee considered it for a second. He had been sent a message from one of his contacts telling him to be at a small house on the east side of town precisely at 1 pm for a handoff of information. The contact, Alton Weight, a small little man with buck teeth and a bad toupee, had promised to be there with some files on one of the cases he’d been working on. There was nothing unusual in the request and nothing about Alton set up alarms in any way. But still….

“Nah, Amanda,” he shook his head. “I appreciate it, but it’s clear on the other side of town. And anyway, Alton’s kind of hard to get along with sometimes when plans are changed on him.”

“Well, couldn’t you just call him and tell him I’m doing the pick-up in your place?” She asked reasonably. “That way he’d be expecting me and not you.”

Lee shook his head negatively again. “It doesn’t work that way. Contact with Alton is one way only. He calls me when he has something and sets the place and time.”

“Oh,” Amanda shrugged. “Well, if you don’t think it’d work, then okay. But I’d be glad to do it. It really wouldn’t be a problem.” She took a step closer, loving the smell of his cologne. In fact she loved everything about him and if picking up one simple little package would make things easier on him, then she was more than willing to do so.

Lee took another cookie and looked down at the planner he had opened on his desk. If he didn’t have to make that meeting with Alton, he would have time to not only make his morning meet but also attend the briefing Billy demanded he be at, as well as several other things on his agenda. Thinking it over again, he finally looked back over at her. “You sure, you wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not.” Amanda smiled. “Just give me the address and tell me what me what I’m supposed to pick up and I’ll take care of it. It’d be no problem.”

Lee gave her a grateful smile. There were times he didn’t know what he’d do without her and other times he wasn’t sure what to do with her, but more and more, he was beginning to realize how fortunate he was to have her. “Thank you, Amanda. I really appreciate it.”

Jotting down the information on a piece of paper, he stepped around the desk and handed her the note. For just a second, as their hands met, he had an impulse to pull her into his arms but that moment soon passed as the door opened and Francine came bustling in.

“Lee, I got some intel on the Jurganson case…” She stopped, noticing the look on Lee’s face. He almost looked like he was about to kiss his partner and his partner looked like she wanted him to. “Did I interrupt something?” She asked with a smirk.

“No, Francine,” Lee answered gruffly as he moved away and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. “Amanda, I’ll see ya later, okay? When you get those files just leave them on my desk, if I’m not here.  Okay?”

“Alright, Lee.” Amanda answered cheerfully, avoiding the arched brow and questioning stare of their blond co-worker. “Have a good day, Francine.” Amanda smiled as she quickly left the office to escape any questions Francine might come up with.  Right then, she wasn’t sure she had any answers.

Francine stared after her for a second. “Sometimes I wonder about those two.” She muttered as she laid her burden of papers on Lee’s desk and left the office, locking the door behind her.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**The Bomb 4**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

Amanda pulled the last form from her typewriter and carefully laid the paper in the file on her desk. Picking it up, as well as her purse, she quickly made her way to Mr. Melrose’s office. He was obviously out but she left the file, along with a note, on his desk, for when he returned. The report had taken a little longer to type than she had expected but glancing at her watch, she thought she should still have plenty of time to make it to the meeting with Alton Weight at one pm, as she had promised Lee.

However just as she reached the elevators, “Amanda.” Amanda closed her eyes and dropped her head with a groan before pasting on a smile and turning back to see Bob Abernathy making his way towards her. He had been in the office for several days now and seemed convinced that Amanda was his personal assistant. Her status as an agent in training had no effect on him.

“Amanda,” he began as he approached. “Glad I caught you. Look, I have to leave for a while but I have a ton of filing on my desk and some reports that need to be typed…”

“I’m sorry, Bob.” Amanda smiled genially as the elevator opened behind her. “But I have to run. I have to be somewhere at one.” She tried to enter the elevator but he moved in front of her.

“Amanda, this is important. This stuff just doesn’t get done by itself you know.” He gave her a patronizing look that irritated her immensely.

Moving around him and just barely catching the elevator door before it closed, Amanda quickly hopped into the car and shrugged at him. “Don’t know what to tell you, Bob. Maybe you should see if there’s a secretary available.” The doors closed before he could say anything but she caught the look on his face and it made her chuckle as she silently rode the elevator up to the lobby.

Mrs. Marsden looked up when Amanda stepped out of the elevator closet and nodded as Amanda placed the badge on her desk. “Going to lunch, Mrs. King?”

“Uh, no, Mrs. Marsden. I have an errand to run for Mr. Stetson. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Amanda gave her the same smile she offered to everyone at the agency, well almost everyone. The smiles she gave Lee were different, even if he didn’t seem to notice.

Exiting the office, Amanda quickly made her way to her car glancing again at her watch. She still had time as long she didn’t get delayed again. Hurriedly she threw her purse in the front passenger seat, climbed in and started the car. Quickly buckling her seat belt, she pulled out of her parking spot and headed east.

Though she seldom listened much to the radio as she drove, today she felt like it. Switching it on, she turned the dial several times, before finally finding a station that offered up some up-beat pop tunes about young love and afternoon delights.

Amanda laughed, thinking of what would delight her that afternoon, or more specifically who. But Lee, it seemed to her, was beyond her reach.  And though there were times like this morning, when he seemed about to do more than merely smile at her, he still hadn’t really given her too much indication that he saw her as anything more than just a friend and co-worker. That fact irritated and bothered her, but she could see no remedy for it as of yet.

Heading down the road, Amanda’s thoughts were more on Lee than the time and it wasn’t until she had to break sharply for the extremely slow going semi in front of her, when she glanced at her watch and realized she stood a chance of being late to meet Lee’s contact.

Pulling over to the left as far as she dared, Amanda carefully checked the road up ahead. Though she hated to speed and always avoided it as much as possible, she had come to realize that there were times it just couldn’t be helped.

Scanning the road again, she gave a turn signal and pressed down on the accelerator, easily passing the semi before pulling back into the right hand lane. Unfortunately, she had easily passed a patrol car, as well, that was sitting on the side of the road just waiting for people like Amanda to break the speed limit.

“Oh, no.” She groaned as she saw the flashing lights in her rearview mirror and heard the siren. Sighing deeply, she dropped her head with a rueful shake and pulled over to the right, immediately reaching for her purse and pulling out her wallet.

The officer was pleasant and non-condescending as he took her information but he was also extremely slow. Amanda came close to pulling out her credentials and claiming her trip as an urgent matter on government business but she decided against it. Despite her reasons, she had broken the law and she would take the ticket she had earned.

When the officer handed her the ticket as well as her information, Amanda smiled politely, thanked him for his kindness and carefully pulled back out onto the road. Glancing at her watch again she could see she was now truly running late and just prayed that Lee’s contact would still be there when she arrived.

The neighborhood chosen for this pick-up was as generic as could be. Non-descript, Lee would’ve called it. Modest homes all generally built and landscaped the same with sparse lawns up front and postage stamp sized backyards. Here and there a small tree would appear in the front yard with perhaps a bush by the drive but nothing about the area was unique.

Easily finding the house, Amanda parked at the curb and quickly exited the car, practically running up the drive and towards the front of the house. She was just nearing the front porch when a small hand on a small clock ticked over and set off a small bomb that leveled the house and sent the front wall flying outwards, landing on top of Amanda.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**The Bomb 5**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

**(Two Days Later)**

Amanda shifted her position in the uncomfortable hospital bed for the fourth time in the last half hour. Her back hurt, her side hurt and her head hurt. But none of those concerns were foremost on her mind.

That kiss was.

Last night, Lee Stetson had kissed her.

Lee Stetson had really kissed her.

And this time it wasn’t the chaste kiss of one friend to another, or a part of his job, or even that of a man who thought of you as something akin to his sister. Though brief and more tender than passionate, it was the kiss of one lover to another. Absently, she ran her finger over her lips. The same lips, Lee had claimed before he left. “Wow!” She exclaimed softly to herself.

“Wow?” Francine walked in with a curious expression.

“Um, yeah. Wow, my head hurts.” Amanda told her, not willing to tell the blond where her thoughts really were.

“Oh,” Francine nodded. “Well, that’s to be expected, I guess. I mean you did have part of a house fall on you.”

“Yes, I know, Francine.” Amanda told her, reminding herself to be patient. “So, to what do I owe this visit?”

“Well, I need to debrief you.” Francine took the chair next to the bed and pulled out a small tape recorder as well as a pen and paper. “Since you can’t come down to the Agency, I thought I’d bring the Agency here to you.”

Amanda sighed and nodded. She knew Francine had a job to do and that she was sincerely trying to find out whoever had set that bomb, but right then Amanda’s head was pounding and all she wanted to do was lay there and think of Lee. And that kiss.

“Amanda, are you listening?” Francine’s somewhat imperialistic tone cut through her thoughts.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Francine. My head hurts a little.” Amanda gave her an apologetic look.

“Yes, so you said.” Francine sighed. She wasn’t sure why, but she had the distinct feeling, Amanda had more on her mind than a headache. “Well, anyway, let’s get started, shall we?”

Amanda nodded and smoothed the sheet across her lap, answering Francine’s questions quietly and as completely as she could. When the last question was asked and answered, Amanda gave her a hopeful look. “You think you can find who did this?”

Francine shrugged as she turned off the tape recorder and opened her bag to put everything up. “We’re certainly going to do everything we can.” She answered non-committedly.

Glancing over at Amanda she guessed at the reason for the fear and worry she saw reflected in the brunette’s eyes.  She wasn’t much good at giving comfort but she couldn’t leave without at least trying to put Amanda’s mind at ease. “Amanda,” she smiled sincerely. “I want to you know that I will do everything in my power to find out who did this and to stop them. They will not get by with this. I promise you.”

Amanda dropped her head and nodded. She knew Francine would do her best. “I know, Francine. I know you’ll try, it’s just…”

“It’s just that you’re worried about them trying again or perhaps coming after your family.” Francine finished for her. “Well, I don’t want you to even think about that. We have a security detail here for you and have dispatched someone to your home to watch over your mother and boys. You have nothing to worry about. Honest.”

Giving Amanda as warm a smile as she could muster, she turned and picked up her bag and headed for the door. “Besides,” she said as she opened the door to leave. “I doubt it was you they were after any way.  It was supposed to be Lee’s pick-up.”

As Francine, walked out and closed the door behind her, she failed to note the alarm in Amanda’s expression. Francine was right. It was supposed to be Lee’s pick-up and if it hadn’t of been for her offer to help, it would’ve been Lee who’d gotten caught in the blast instead of her.

“Oh my gosh!  Lee!”  Amanda gasped as the realization hit her.  No one but she and Lee knew that she was taking his place.  Not even the man who’d asked Lee for the meeting. 

Carefully, she reached for the phone beside her bed and dialed the office, praying Lee would be there.  She got the answering machine.  Trying again, she called his apartment and got his machine there as well.  Trying one more time, she called Billy.

“Amanda?”  He questioned with concern when the call had been put through to him.  “Are you okay?  What’s wrong?”

“Oh, yes sir,” she said as cheerfully as she could.  “I’m fine but I was wondering about Lee.  I tried calling him but I couldn’t reach him in the office or his home.”

“He’s out in the field, Amanda.”  Billy told her.  “He’s just chasing down some information.  Is there something you wanted?”

“Oh, no,” she said.  “I… I was just…” She looked up just then and saw Lee coming in the door.  “Never mind, Sir.  It wasn’t important.”  She said quickly and hung up the phone.

Billy stared at the receiver in his hand for several moments before hanging it up with a shake of his head.  “Her concussion must be worse than we thought.”  He muttered.

“Lee.”  Amanda’s voice reflected the relief and joy she felt at seeing his smiling face. 

“Hey, Amanda.”  He said as he entered and crossed over to her side.  “I thought I’d check on you.  You looked a little peaked yesterday when you woke up.”

Amanda’s smile lit up her face.  “I was feeling a little peaked, but I’m better now.  They took out the IV this morning and said I could go home tomorrow.  I don’t know what I’m going to tell Mother and the boys though.  I mean, you told her we were on a shoot and then I come home with scratches and bruises and a broken rib and well, you know that’s not the sort of thing you get on a photo shoot. Is it?  I mean, I don’t really know, because we’ve never really been on one but…”

“Amanda.”  Lee grinned and reached over, taking her hand.  “You don’t have to tell your mother anything.  At least not for a few days.  We’ve decided it wouldn’t be too good an idea for you to go home right away.”

She swallowed hard.  “It wouldn’t?”

“No, it wouldn’t.”  He gave her hand a gentle tug and sat down on the bed beside her.  “It’s probably a safe bet that that bomb was for meant for me.  But that doesn’t mean you’re out of danger.  Billy decided that once you’re released from here, it might not be a bad idea to take you somewhere safe until we can figure this thing out.”

“Take me where, Lee?”  She asked; not sure she wanted to go.

“My apartment.”  He told her watching her face for her reaction. 

“Your apartment?”  Amanda looked at him a little startled.  “Why there?  Why can’t I just go home?  I can tell Mother that I fell off of a step ladder or something.”

“Amanda.”  Lee sighed.  “It’s not safe there for you or your family.  If someone did come after you, they could be in serious danger.  Now I know you don’t want that.  Besides at my apartment, it’s easier to keep watch over you 24 hours a day until we catch whoever did this.  As long as only me, Francine and Billy know where you are, you’ll be safe.”

“What about you?”  She asked a little fretfully.  “I mean, if that bomb was meant for you then you’re in much worse danger than I am and I’m not really in any danger now, because I’m here and there are agents here and well if I were in any danger than they would take care of it or you would.  But Lee, someone was trying to kill you, of course they didn’t kill you because you’re here and it was me at that house but…”

“A-man-da, I’m fine.”  Lee patted the hand atop his arm to stop her rambling.  He knew she was worried about him.  “I’m a highly trained operative, remember? Besides as hard as Francine and Billy and me are working on this, we’ll have the people who did this in no time.”

Amanda looked up confused.  “You?  I thought Mr. Melrose said you were to stay out of this?”

Lee grinned with a cocky shrug.  “He did.  But he realized if he didn’t let me in, I’d go without agency approval.  He figured it was better to have me where he could keep an eye on me.”  Lee could see she was still worried.

 “Amanda,” Lee said with a dimpled grin and a confident attitude.  “I will be fine and so will you.  There’s nothing for you to worry about.  Believe me.”

Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the city, two men met in a small café.  “Scarecrow was not killed?”  The taller of the two said quietly.

“No,” the other older and squatter man answered.  “His partner was injured though.”

“Mrs. King?”  The first one asked a note of interest in his voice.

“Yes, but not too seriously.”  Second one answered.  “We hear she’ll be released from the hospital soon.”

First one sat thoughtfully for a few moments.  “We must get her.  Scarecrow will come to me if we have her.” He stated.

“Yes,” Second one agreed.  “But it won’t be easy.  We don’t know where they’re taking her.”

“Then find out.” First one scowled at Second one as he stood to leave.  “Just get me Mrs. King.”

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**The Bomb 6**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

The next morning, Lee arrived promptly at eight a.m. to pick Amanda up from the hospital.   “How’s your rib?”  He asked as he saw her wince when getting into the Vet. 

“Oh, it’s alright, Lee.”  She told him.  “Just a little sore, but I’ll be fine.  Glad Mother can’t see me though.  She’d swear I was dying.”  Truthfully she hurt all over but she was not about to admit it.  Lee was worried enough about her to begin with and she was half afraid he’d make her stay in the hospital. 

Lee chuckled at the thought. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that right now.”  He said as he started the car and drove away from the curb.  He wanted to say a great deal more but wasn’t quite sure how.  How do you tell someone that you think you may be falling in love with them?  It wasn’t exactly light conversation.

“Lee, are you sure Mother and the boys are alright?”  Amanda asked after they’d driven for a while, trying to break the uncomfortable silence and ease the nervousness they both obviously felt.  “I mean, when I called her to tell her I’d be gone for a few days she seemed alright but...”

“Um?”  Lee’s mind was obviously not on her mother and boys. 

“My family.”  Amanda repeated.  “Are you sure they’re alright?”

“Uh, oh… your family.  Yes, yes they’re  fine.  I told you, we have a security team surrounding them.”   He answered distractedly. 

“Oh, well, I was just thinking… well, you know, it’s just well… I was just wondering.”  She finished lamely.  She was feeling very uncomfortable for the first time in a long time with Lee and she suspected he was too.  And it all centered on that kiss.

“Amanda”    “Lee”    They both spoke at once.   “Oh, I’m…”  Oh, I…”  Both pursed their lips for a moment. 

“You first.”  Lee smiled at her.

“Well,” Amanda paused uncertain of exactly what she had been about to say, or at least how she was going to say it.  “I just… well, back in the hospital, when I came to and you were there and when you started to leave… well…”

She was interrupted when they pulled into the parking space in front of his apartment building.  “I’ll get your door.” He told her as he hurriedly jumped out of the car and came around to her side.  “Let’s get inside and then we can talk.” 

Amanda nodded and took his hand as he helped her up and out of the car.

Lee saw her wince again as she got up from the seat and he instantly wrapped an arm around her shoulder.  “You sure you’re alright?”  He asked.  “You know, maybe I should take you back to that hospital.”

“No, Lee.”  Amanda said seriously.  “Honestly, I’ll be fine.” 

Lee studied her face intently for a moment, finally nodding and leading her towards the entrance of the building.  Once inside, Floyd Feller, the doorman, greeted them warmly and watched them with a smile as they got on the elevator.  “Such a nice looking couple.” He said to himself.  “Sure hope he keeps her.”   

Once inside his apartment, Lee led Amanda over to the couch and bid her to sit down, picking her feet up and pulling them up onto the couch as he did so.  “You lay there and get comfortable.”  He told her.  “I’ll get you something to drink.”

He started to rise, but Amanda stilled him with a hand on his arm.  “Lee, you said we could talk.”

Lee sighed as he sank down on the couch beside her.  “I know I did, Amanda.  And I…”

Just then the door bell rang.  “I’ll just get that.” He told her, glad for the interruption.  He wasn’t sure he was ready yet for this conversation.

“Francine.”  He greeted his blond co-worker when he opened the door to find her standing there with an irritated look and a briefcase. 

“I still think it’d be a better idea to take her to the Cumberland.”  She said with an arched brow.

  
“Francine,” Lee shook his head as he held the door for her.  “You know as well as I do that the fewer people who know where she’s at, the better.  We’d have to have too many other agents involved if we used the Cumberland.”

“I know, I know.” She waved him off as she came in and laid her purse and briefcase on the table.  “So, I’m here for my turn at guard duty.”

Lee avoided looking at Amanda as Francine spoke.  He hadn’t told her that Francine would be staying with her while he went to meet with a contact.  He knew Amanda wanted to talk and he knew what about, but right then, was just not the time.  “Uh, yeah.  Uh, Amanda, I’ve got to run down some leads.  I have a couple of people in my family that just may be able to give me some info on this.  Francine promised to stay here until I get back.”

Amanda’s legs were off the couch immediately as she struggled to gain her feet.  “Shouldn’t I be going with you?”  She asked.  “I am your partner and…”

“And you just got out of the hospital after being nearly killed.”  Lee pointed out as he headed once again for the door.  “Amanda, believe me.  This is something I do not need a partner for.  But I do need my partner to be well and alive.  So stay here and keep Francine entertained.”  He said that last as he quickly slipped through the front door and closed it tightly behind him.

Francine sighed deeply and looked over at her charge.  “Well,” she looked around the room.  “You want play hearts?”

Amanda sighed and laid back down.  Playing hearts with Francine is not what she wanted to do.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**The Bomb 7**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

 “What do ya got, Rhonda?”  Lee asked as he leaned against his car, scanning the area around him.  

Rhonda, gas station attendant and informant extraordinaire, pumped gas into his car while she spoke, her brown eyes scanning the area around them as well.  She had a good thing going, where she currently was, and she wanted to keep it that way.  “Well, as you already know, the meeting at that house was a set up.  Only your partner wasn’t supposed to get hit, you were.”

“Yeah, I knew that.”  Lee answered with more than a hint of anger in his voice as he remembered Amanda lying in that hospital bed.  “And I know the words out that I didn’t buy it.  But what I don’t know, is who was behind that bomb and why.  You got any ideas?”

Rhonda finished pumping the gas and carefully put up the nozzle, pushing curly brown hair out of her face. “Check your oil, Mister?”  She asked loudly as a man passed a little too close to them.

Although Lee really didn’t like anyone, even Rhonda, near his engine he nodded.  “Yeah, I’ll pop the hood.”

Once he’d pulled the latch, Rhonda raised the hood and leaned in under it.  Lee took another look around then moved over closer to her.  “Well?”  He prompted her.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I know who it wasn’t.”  She answered cryptically.  “It wasn’t the Russians or the Libyans or any of the other major players out there.  There were two of em here this morning and they were as clueless as anybody else.”

“So basically you got me out here for nothing?”  Lee looked askance at her.

Rhonda glanced up at him with an arched brow.  “Have I ever called you for nothing?”  She asked.

Lee took a deep breath and shook his head.  “I’m sorry, Rhonda.  Just a little on edge, I guess.  So, if it wasn’t the normal set of suspects, who was it?”

Rhonda shrugged as she replaced the oil dipstick and checked the other fluids.  “I don’t know.  But I do know that Max Regal was in here this morning.  You remember him?”

Lee nodded with a look of disgust.  “Former agent.  He wasn’t even good enough to be a bad guy.”

Rhonda snickered as she nodded.  “Yep, that’s him.  Well, anyway.  I heard him talking on the payphone over there.  I couldn’t hear too much, but I distinctly heard your name and that of your partner’s.  And I also noted the tone of his voice.  He seemed to be angry.  Said something about, doing the job right.” 

Lee was quiet for a moment.  Regal had been an agent, until Lee brought him down.  He’d been trying to steal information to put on the market.  Only he wasn’t able to get anything and the contact, he thought he had in the KGB, turned out to be another American agent.  Because the damage, he’d done, had been minimal, he’d only spent a year behind bars.  Apparently he was out now and just might have something to do with the bombing.

Finally finished under his hood, Rhonda wiped her hands on a dirty rag then closed the hood of his car.  “You might want to have that oil changed, Mister.”  She said with a slight nod to her left.  “It’s awful dirty.  Doesn’t look like you took too good a care of it.”

Lee nonchalantly turned his head and noticed a tan four door sedan, with smoked windows, idling against the curb.   “Oil changed?”  Lee raised his voice in faux anger, turning his back to the car.  “Look lady, there’s nothing wrong with my oil.  Maybe you ought to keep to pumping gas and let a man do the hard stuff.  Huh?”

Rhonda gave him a look of wry amusement.  “You’re pretty good.”  She whispered as she raised her voice to make sure everyone heard.  “Geeze, man.  Calm down.  I didn’t say I would change the oil.  I wouldn’t help you for any reason.  I just said your oil needed changed.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t believe you.”  Lee yelled, then whispered.  “How are we doing?”

“It’s still there.”  She whispered before poking her finger in his chest and pushing him away.  “Yeah?   Well, too bad.  Look Mister, why don’t you just get out of here, huh?  We don’t need business from people like you.”

“That suits me just fine.”  Lee yelled, giving Rhonda a wink, as he stomped around to the driver’s side and got in his car, slamming the door.  “There are lots better places to go, besides here, for my car.”  Jamming the car into gear, he made sure to lay plenty of rubber as he screeched away from the station. 

For several seconds the tan car sat where it was, before finally starting and pulling away from the curb and taking off in the same direction Lee had gone.   Rhonda shook her head, saying a silent prayer for her friend and went back to work.

Lee checked his rear view mirror and saw with satisfaction that the sedan was, as he expected, following him. “Good.”  He said out loud.  “Let’s just find out who you are.”  Accelerating, he smoothly pulled way ahead of the more sluggish family car and rocketed down the street, careening around a corner.

Checking his mirror again and satisfied that he was, for the moment, out of sight, he swiftly pulled past a small garage and backed into its shadows.  He only had to wait a couple of moments before the tan Buick passed his hiding spot.  Giving it another moment, Lee pulled out and this time, he was following the sedan.  Only something didn’t feel right.

Lee’s instincts as an agent were well-honed.  He could smell a trap from a mile away and right now his nose was telling him that he was headed right for a big one.  Though he wanted to know who was in the car and what they had to do with anything, he decided to, for once, play it safe. 

Making note of the license tag, he turned left at the next stop light and made a quick exit, noting that as soon as he did so, the Buick hit its breaks.  But no one knew the city of DC like Lee and he had placed a considerable amount of distance between him and the sedan before it could get turned around.

Something didn’t feel right to Lee, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what that was.  However, he was determined to find out one way or another.  Making an0ther couple of turns, he headed for the Agency to get the tag number run and check on one former agent by the name of Regal.

TBC

  


	8. Chapter 8

**The Bomb 8**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

Back at the apartment, Francine was sitting quietly thumbing through a magazine she’d brought with her, anxiously checking her watch every so often.  Lee should’ve returned by now and she was beginning to get concerned.

Despite protesting that she was not tired and wouldn’t be able to sleep, Amanda, at Francine’s insistence, was now laying on Lee’s bed, fast asleep.  Of course, the pain pill, Francine had slipped into her tea, hadn’t hurt.

Finally deciding to try calling Lee, Francine put the magazine aside and stood to cross over to the phone when she heard a noise coming from the front door.  “It’s about time.”  She huffed.  “Don’t tell me you forgot your key.” 

With a shake of her well-coiffed head, she started towards the door, checking the peephole first.  It wasn’t anyone. Instantly she went on alert.  Picking up her purse, Francine pulled her gun out and held it pointed at the door.  Something was up. 

Quietly as she could, Francine stretched up to look through the peep hole again.  She still saw nothing in the hallway.  For several seconds, she scanned the limited area allowed by the tiny window but it was empty. Deciding she’d been wrong, she relaxed her grip on her gun and turned back towards the living room just as the door burst open and three men entered.

Francine instantly brought her gun back up and tried to take aim at the black garbed and masked intruders. But they were too quick.  Two of them swiftly grabbed her arms, and as one held her, the other brought a rag up to her face and held it to her nose and mouth.   She saw the third man approach the bedroom, just as she lost consciousness.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lee had called as many contacts as he could think of and gone through as many files as he could find and so far, he was coming up dry.  The car, he’d followed, turned out to be stolen and he could find nothing at all on Max Regal.  That he was still around was no secret.  But if he was up to no good, it was hard to find proof of. 

After leaving prison, he’d gone into his uncle’s manufacturing business and as far as anyone could tell, was keeping his nose perfectly clean.  Lee could turn up absolutely nothing to tie him to the bombing.  But the top operative at the Agency wasn’t fooled.  Regal wouldn’t have ever mentioned his and Amanda’s name if he wasn’t somehow involved.  And the part of town, he was in, was nowhere near his job at the Ajax Manufacturing plant. 

No, Lee believed, Rhonda’s instincts were probably right on this and Regal was mixed up in this. Sitting back in his chair, Lee wearily rubbed his neck.  Sleepless nights and fruitless days of hunting for a potential killer were beginning to catch up with him. 

Looking at his watch, Lee was surprised at how long he’d been gone.  Guiltily, he realized he should’ve at least called Francine.  Picking up the phone, he dialed his number to let her know he was on his way but the line was busy.  Francine was probably trying to run down leads, or perhaps Amanda was on the phone with her mother.  But still…

Shaking his head, he tried once more and the line was still busy.  Placing the phone down, an uncomfortable feeling was starting to creep up his spine.  Something was wrong.  Grabbing his keys, Lee hurriedly locked up his office and took off for home. 

When he got to his apartment building the doorman greeted him warmly.  “Uh, Mr. Feller, have there been any strangers visiting here today?”  Lee asked casually. 

“Uh, no, Sir.” Floyd Feller shook his head.  “Not to see you at least.”  He smiled.

“What do you mean?”  Lee asked, alarm bells ringing loudly.

“Well, there were three men here to see your neighbor, Mrs. Hudgins.  Something about her life insurance benefits I believe.”  Floyd answered, not understanding why his, sometimes odd, tenant would want to know about visitors.

Lee’s mind quickly considered the possibilities.  “Did you see them when they came back down?”

Floyd paused for a moment to search his memory.  “Uh, no, no I didn’t Mr. Stetson but then I’ve not been here at my desk the entire time.”

“You weren’t?”  Lee swallowed hard. 

“No, I’m sorry, I wasn’t.”  Floyd answered regretfully.  “I was called upstairs to Mr. Allen’s apartment, you know, on the floor above yours?  Well anyway, I had to go up there to see him.  Odd thing that was, though.  He just swore he hadn’t called for me but I know…”

Lee’s heart raced.  “Thanks, Mr. Feller.” He said as he sprinted towards the elevator.

“Well, if it were any other tenant, I’d say that was odd behavior.”  Floyd muttered to himself. 

When he reached his floor, Lee drew his gun and approached his apartment with caution.  The door was closed, and didn’t appear to be broken in or tampered with but he knew something was wrong.  Almost hesitantly, he tried the knob.  It turned easily and the door swung open to reveal Francine laying on the floor, unmoving, the phone lying on the floor beside her, off the hook.

Lee gripped his gun even tighter and quickly ran inside, with only a flicker of a glance to Francine’s still form on the living room carpet, he swiftly checked out the remaining rooms. 

Empty.

Amanda was gone.

Stepping back over to Francine, he checked her over, she was alive but unconscious.  With a heavily fearful heart, he picked up the phone and called Billy.

“Melrose.”  His boss’ gruff voice answered.

“Billy,” Lee said grimly.  “It’s Amanda.  She’s gone and Francine’s hurt.  You’d better get a team over here quick.”

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**The Bomb 9**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

Amanda came to on a small cot, in a small cinderblock room, with a small window near the top of the wall and a large metal door across from it.  Her head was pounding and her side was killing her.  Wrapping an arm tightly around her side, she pushed herself to her feet and stepped carefully over to the door.  As expected, it was locked.  The window was too high for her to look out of and she doubted she’d see much if she were able to get up to it.

“Hello?”  She raised her voice to yell, but cut it off immediately when it made her head throb all that much more and pulled at her side, making her suddenly nauseous. 

Sitting back down on the cot, she massaged her temple wearily, trying to remember what happened and how she got there. 

She remembered Francine making her take a cup of tea and telling her to lie down on Lee’s bed to rest.  She knew she must’ve gone to sleep, because the next thing she remembered, was some noise in the living room and trying to get up to check on it. 

Only she hadn’t been able to manage it, before a man came into the room and towards her.  Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she remembered the man had a mask on and that he had rushed to her side and pushed her back on the bed, pressing a cloth to her nose and mouth. She realized he must’ve given her something to knock her out. 

Why he did it or who he was and where she was, was anyone’s guess.   Taking another deep breath, she raised her head and tried again.  

“Hello?”

Her second cry was rewarded with a scraping of the lock and the door opening.  Three men immediately stepped in.  All three had masks on.  “Who are you?”  She asked tremulously.  “What do you want?”

“Oh, come now, Mrs. King.”  The voice was cultivated and heavily accented with a high pitched sneer.  “I’m certain you have an inkling of what we want.”  He took a step closer and she shrank back as far as she could.  “You are simply a means to obtain the attention of one Mr. Lee Stetson.  Once he learns that we have you, he will do as we want.”

“And what do you want?”  Amanda asked, swallowing hard, not certain she wanted to know.

“His head.”  The man chuckled as he backed out of the room, followed by the two men with him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lee and Billy paced outside of the hospital room while the NEST team worked on Francine.  She hadn’t been shot, fortunately, and it didn’t look like they’d hurt her in any other way, but the doctors were being very thorough to find out what just exactly they did do to her.  An Agency team was at Lee’s apartment going over it but so far no one had reported in with any findings from there.  All they could do was pace and wait.

Finally the door cracked open and Dr. Scardelli came out to them.  “How is she?”  Billy asked, purposely stepping in front of Lee to keep him from tackling the doctor before she could speak.

“She’s fine, or at least she will be.  Looks like she was chloroformed.  She’ll be a little nauseous and woozy for a while, but she’ll be alright.”

“Can I see her?”  Billy asked, placing an emphasis on the word ‘I’. 

The doctor nodded. “Sure.  As a matter of fact, you can take her home.  There’s no need to keep her.  The chloroform is just about out of her system.”

Billy nodded and started towards the door, Lee right behind him.  “No, Lee.”  Billy shook his head.  “I don’t want you going in there and giving her a Class A interrogation.  I’ll talk to her.  You stay here.”

“Billy…” He started to protest but saw the warning look in his boss’s eyes.  “I promise, not one question.”  He sighed deeply.

Francine looked up when the two men walked in with a chagrined look on her face.  “Billy, Lee, I’m sorry.” She said before they could even make it to her side.  “Amanda was my responsibility and I…”

“Francine, we don’t need apologies right now.  We need to know what happened.”  Lee snapped at her, earning him a scowl from Billy.  Running a hand agitatedly through his hair, he turned and walked back over to the door.  “I’m sorry.”  He muttered.

Billy watched him for a second then turned back to the apologetic employee in the hospital bed.  “Tell us what happened.” 

Francine took a deep breath as she recalled the events just prior to her losing consciousness.  “Well, Amanda was lying down in Lee’s room and I was sitting in the living room waiting for Lee to come back, and he was late.”  She immediately regretted saying that when she saw the slump of Lee’s shoulders.

“Well, anyway, I heard someone at the door and I thought it was Lee so I started towards it, expecting him to unlock it and come in.  Only he didn’t.  No one came in but I knew someone was out there, I heard it.  So I went up to the peephole in the door and looked out.  But I couldn’t see anyone.  The hallway looked empty.”

“But you’re sure you heard someone?”  Billy asked.

Francine gave him a cross between a shrug and a nod.  “I thought so.  Anyway, when I didn’t see anyone, I grabbed my gun and returned to the door, looking out again.  I looked out there for quite a while but I still didn’t see anything or anyone.  Finally I decided it was my imagination and I turned back just as the door flew open and three men came in.”

“Three men?’  Billy questioned.  “Do you know who they were?  Can you describe them?”

Francine shook her head regretfully. “They were all three dressed in black and had masks on.”  She looked over at Lee.  “I did everything I could.  I have no idea how they got in or who they were but I would’ve stopped them if I could.  You’ve got to believe me.”  She raised troubled blue eyes to Lee.

Lee nodded with a sigh.  “Yeah, I know, Francine.  And it’s not your fault, it’s mine.  I was supposed to be there with her, protecting her, not you.”

Billy could see what this line of thought was doing to Lee, as well as Francine, and he knew he had to redirect his attention if they were to ever stand a chance of getting Amanda back.  “Alright,” he said firmly.  “If everyone is through with their own personal pity parties, what do you say we get to work and find Amanda?”

TBC 


	10. Chapter 10

**The Bomb 10**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

**(The Next Day)**

Amanda sat morosely on the small cot, leaning her back against the wall.  Although not one to take pain pills, she thought she’d give just about anything right then for one.  The pain in her side, though still present and accounted for, had diminished some.  But her head was killing her and her swollen left arm was pretty close to useless.

“That’s what I get for thinking I was smart as Francine or Lee.” She muttered to herself, while valiantly trying to keep from crying at her plight and the pain as she ruefully thought of what had brought it about.

She’d sat in the small little room for several hours alone except for a small fly that had somehow found its way in to her and kept itself occupied with buzzing around the room and occasionally alighting on Amanda’s leg, before zooming off again.  “You’re as trapped as I am.”  Amanda had said to the insect, which paid her little heed as it continued to flit around the room.

It was while she was watching the fly that one of the men returned to the room.  “Get up.”  He ordered.

Reluctantly, Amanda stood up but she refused to take a step towards him. “What are you going to do with me?”  She asked over the lump in her throat, trying not to show any fear.

“Come with me.”  The man’s voice was monotone, with no inflection in it, but it still carried the hint of a threat in it.

Seeing no real choice, Amanda stepped forward as he got behind her and pushed, propelling her towards the exit.  As she approached the open metal door, Amanda suddenly seized upon an idea of how to get away. Taking a quick step through, she grabbed the door and threw it back, banging it hard into the man behind her.  Without looking to see what it might have done to him, she ran.

But her escape was short lived.  The hallway in front of her little room was short and turned only one way into another hall.  She had no sooner rounded the corner, when a hand reached out and grabbed her left arm. Without hesitation, the man slammed a fist into Amanda’s cheek and twisted her arm up behind her, bringing it up higher, that it would go on its own.  She heard a snap just before the darkness descended on her.

When she was next aware of herself and her surroundings, she found herself back in the same little room, lying on the same little cot, in pain and even more afraid.  Whatever they had planned for her, when they took her from the room, they’d either did it while she was unconscious, or they planned on coming back and trying again.  Both thoughts terrified her.

“Oh, Lee.”  She whispered softly.  “I sure wish you’d come and get me.”

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lee sat straight up and looked blankly around the room.  He was sure he’d just heard Amanda’s voice calling for him.  He’d heard it just clear as anything, asking him to come and get her.  But looking around, he realized it must’ve been a dream.  He was in the Q Bureau and he was alone.  Apparently he’d fallen asleep while going through endless amounts of information that, so far, was leading him nowhere.

He and Billy and Francine, when she was released from the hospital, had spent the rest of the day and most of the night combing the haystack of DC for a small brunette needle and had come up dry, time and again.  

They had found Alton Weight, but little could be learned from him as he’d been found floating face down in the Potomac.  A check of his phone records and all the mail in his apartment led to nothing but a tenuous link to Ajax Manufacturing, when he’d applied for a job there and received a letter of rejection.

After examining the lock on Lee’s apartment door, it was discovered that it hadn’t been tampered with or picked.  Whoever had opened it; had done so with a key.  When questioned, Floyd Feller, the doorman, admitted that while he’d been away from his desk, he’d left his master key on its peg at his desk.  He’d forgotten to secure it before he left his desk.

There were no fingerprints or eye witnesses to Amanda’s kidnapping and though Mr. Feller had been shown tons of mug shots, he had been unable to identify a single one of the men who’d come that day to see Mrs. Hudgins, who hadn’t even been there at the time.

Lee’s apartment building, though in a good part of town and usually very secure, had no cameras trained on the lobby or hallways and so there was no video surveillance to go over.  It seemed that three men had come in, attacked one woman and kidnapped another and absolutely no one saw or heard a thing.

They had checked on Regal’s whereabouts at the time of the abduction and he was right where he was supposed to be, at work in a small cubicle filing invoices.  Several witnesses swore he’d been there most of the day, except for lunch.  But he had an alibi for that time as well, as he’d eaten in the company cafeteria, seen by many other employees.

They had even run a thorough check on Ajax Manufacturing but had come up dry there as well.  If the company, or its owner, had any nefarious dealings with anyone, it was well hidden and would be hard to link with the bombing at the house.

They had run into dead ends all along the way and the only thing they knew for certain was that they knew nothing.  Well, almost nothing.  Proof or no, Lee knew Regal had something to do with this.  He just had to find a way to get to him.  Somehow he had to get a hold of Regal and make him talk.  Even if he had to beat it out of him, he had to know where Amanda was.

Standing up, he stretched his tired and stiffened muscles and grabbed his jacket.  Sitting there in his office wasn’t going to accomplish anything.  He had to be on the move, he needed to act and he had a horrifying feeling that he needed to act soon.  Somehow, he knew, Amanda needed him, and he wasn’t about to let her down if he could help it.

Locking the vault and taking one last look around the office, Lee had just reached the door, when Francine burst in.  “Lee, you’d better see this.”

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**The Bomb 11**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

Lee sat numbly looking at the video, his mind in torment.  Amanda was lying on a small bunk, apparently unconscious while a masked man, dressed all in black, sat beside her, his hand insolently turning her face to the camera.  She had a black eye that hadn’t been there before, and her left arm looked swollen. The wall behind her was of cinderblock and painted a stark white with a line of letters across the middle.

“She’s not dead, Scarecrow.”  The arrogant voice taunted.  “But she can be, if I don’t get what I want.  You have information on the Jurganson case.  I want it and I want you.”  

The man removed his hand from Amanda’s face and moved it slowly down to rest on her slender throat.  “If I don’t get what I want, she will die.”  The man chuckled for a moment before, sobering.  “Meet me at the  Chesapeake pipe factory at midnight.  Don’t think of trying anything, Scarecrow.  Unless, that is, that you would like to see this beauty end up like Alton Weight.”

It was all Lee could do, to keep from pulling the tape out and smashing it to pieces.  But that tape was the only thing they had that could lead them to Amanda, little as it was.  It had been delivered to the Georgetown foyer by a courier who’d picked it from the front desk of a sleazy motel. 

The front desk clerk, at the motel, remembered a man with a wide brimmed hat pulled low over his face and a long coat coming in and placing the package on the desk and informing him that a courier would soon arrive to collect it.  According to the clerk, the man lingered in the lobby until the courier pulled up and then disappeared from a side door.  He didn’t know who the man was and was too creeped out by him to ask.

Lee watched the tape through and then rewound it again and hit play.  He had watched it now, countless times and had gleaned little from it, other than the fact that Amanda, though obviously hurt, was alive and that whoever was holding her wasn’t alone.

Billy, who’d watched the tape just as many times as Lee, looked over at the younger man in sympathy.  Lee had never proclaimed to have any feelings for Amanda other than friendship and the occasional irritation, but Billy was an astute observer of human nature and he had an idea about how Lee really felt about her. 

He also knew that this was tearing him up inside, knowing Amanda was hurt and needing his help and unable to do a thing other than follow the instructions of a terrorist.

When the tape ended again, Lee automatically rewound it and started to play it again, but Billy placed a hand on his, causing Lee to pause the tape at the point where the man reached his hand towards Amanda’s face. “Lee, we can’t get any more from this tape.  We at least know Amanda’s alive and what he wants.  That’s more than we knew a couple of hours ago.  But we’ve gotten all we can.”

“Actually, I think there is something more we can get from that tape.”  Francine spoke up.  She had been busy making a pot of coffee, when she turned to see the screen paused and noticed something they hadn’t really seen before.

Lee and Billy both turned to her with curious looks.  “What?”  Billy asked.

Francine walked over to the screen and pointed to the villain’s hand.  There, shining nicely, was a ring.  But not just any ring.  It was a championship ring given to the players of season winning football teams.  Teams like the Washington Redskins, who’d just won the super bowl in 1982.

“That’s it!” Lee exclaimed as he jumped and grabbed Francine giving her a resounding kiss on the lips and leaving her slightly breathless.  “That’s the link, Billy.  I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”

Billy, who knew why Lee hadn’t seen anything but Amanda in that tape, still was stymied as to just what link Lee was referring to.  “Link?  Lee you don’t think any one of those football players had anything to do with…”

“No!”  Lee hastily assured him.  “Not the players, not even the management.”

Francine and Billy exchanged glances of concern with each other, certain that Lee made have gone over the deep end but willing to give him time to explain himself.

Quickly stepping over to the filing cabinets lining one wall, Lee jerked open the second drawer and started pulling out one file after another until he finally found what he needed.  “Here it is!”  He practically yelled. 

“Lee, what in the world are you talking about?”  Francine asked, even more sure that he’d finally lost it.

“Ajax Manufacturing.”  Lee proclaimed as though that cleared things up perfectly.  Seeing that it didn’t, he shook his head.  “Okay, sorry, I guess I’m getting a little ahead.”

“A little?”  Francine quirked an eyebrow. 

“Alright, a lot.”  Lee amended.  “Look, earlier I pulled up some information on Ajax Manufacturing to see if they could have had any connection to this.  At first, what I found, didn’t seem to have any link, but I think maybe it does.”

“What kind of link?”  Billy asked again, trying to keep himself from getting his hopes up just in case, Lee was just grasping at straws.

“Ajax Manufacturing is a multi-layered company.  They have their fingers in as many pies as they can get them.  One of those pies is in the making of those championship rings.  I remember Max making some kind of comment once about getting one of those through his uncle’s company somehow.”

“So, that could be Regal.”  Billy looked back over at the masked man on the screen.  “But what does that have to do with the Jurganson case?”

A peculiar light lit up Lee’s face making him look almost demented as he answered.  “Adolph Jurganson, as you know, is a dealer.  He’ll sell anything to anyone if the price is right no matter how illegal or how bad the buyer.  I’ve been trying to get something to nail him with for some time, since before Max was scooched even.  But most of what I got was worthless.  But I did find some references to his trying to make a deal to sell some plane parts to the Libyans.  Plane parts that Ajax Manufacturing just happens to have a hand in making.”

Lee watched Billy and Francine’s faces as the made the same connection that he’d just made.  “You mean, Max wants to know how to get a hold of Jurganson so that he can strike a deal for those parts and maybe make some money with his uncle’s parts?”

Lee nodded.  “Either that or he’s already made a deal and wants the info I have in order to make sure no one else can tie him to it.”

“But why the bombing?”  Billy asked.  “And why not just try killing you again when he realized the first attempt failed?”

Lee shrugged.  “I figure he tried killing me first, thinking with me out of the way, no one else would be interested in an obscure dealer that can’t be tied to anything.  When he realized that wasn’t going to work, he tried to set up some sort of trap with that tan Buick at the gas station.  And when that failed too, he probably decided to use Amanda to get me and the files to come to him and he’ll kill me when I show up.”

“Interesting plan.”  Billy conceded.  “Only you’re not going to show up, at least not alone.  I’ll get a detail on this and…”

“No, Billy.”  Lee stopped him.  “If he so much as suspects a trap, he’ll kill Amanda without even blinking. Besides, I think I know where Amanda is.  And if you’ll help me, I can get her out of there before that deadline.”

Billy considered his words for a minute, before nodding.  “Deal.  Tell us what to do.”

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**The Bomb 12**

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Billy and Francine stood in the Q Bureau with cups of coffee, talking to Lee through the cracked door of the vault, while he slipped inside and quickly changed clothes.  It was going to be dark when he got to his destination and he wanted to blend in. 

“I didn’t think of it until I made all of the connections.”  Lee told them as he finally emerged from the vault dressed head to toe in black jeans, sweater and stocking cap.  “Ajax Manufacturing has an old building just outside of town that used to house their main offices.  But it was small and cramped and too far out, so when they got to where they could, they built their new space in town and left that building empty.” 

“That’s right.”  Billy said.  “I remember reading something about them trying to sell it but there were some code restrictions or something holding up the sale.”

Lee nodded.  “Uh hum.  Anyway, if you remember in the video, Amanda was lying on a cot in a small cinderblock room.”

“So?” Francine asked.  “Do you know how many buildings have those kinds of walls?”

Lee shook his head.  “No, but I don’t need to.”  Stepped back over to the video screen, he pointed to a spot on the wall just over Amanda’s still form on the cot.  He tried not to look at her as he pointed.   “I know there’s only one that has a big AM etched into a scroll around the middle of every room in the building.”

Billy grinned as it dawned on him that he’d seen that scroll as well.  But like Lee and Francine, his mind had been on the comatose woman, not the walls.  “Well, that tells us where she is.”  He looked over at Lee.  “But it doesn’t tell us how to get in.”

“No it doesn’t.”  Lee agreed.  “Unless you know the layout of the building, or at least have a diagram of it, which I do.”  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Billy.

Opening the paper, Billy looked in amazement at the diagram of an office building down to a description of each room.  He raised questioning eyes to Lee.  “I’m not sure I want to know why you have this.”

“Just being thorough.”  Lee grinned.  “There’s a short hallway just inside in the back entrance that curves around into a dead end.” He indicated the place on the drawing.  “There’s a room on either side of that dead end and I bet you anything, Amanda’s in one of those rooms.”

Billy located the area on the map.  “Storage rooms.  Looks about right.”  He agreed.  “But it also looks difficult to get in to, even with a team of people.  There’s no cover except those bushes at the back door and that small grove of trees behind the parking lot.  It’s obvious there’s more than one person involved in this scheme.  For all we know, Regal could have a whole squad of men there, just waiting for you.”

“He could.”  Lee agreed.  “But I doubt it.  I think he’ll have the minimum number of people at that office building and save any real attack for the factory.  That’s why I want to go in alone.  If there’s only a couple or so I can probably neutralize them without too many problems.  If there’s more, a team of our people could cause a battle that could get someone hurt, or worse.  No, I’d rather go in alone and get her out by myself.”

Francine looked over Billy’s shoulder at the schematics he was holding.  “I still think you should have at least me and Billy with you.”

“You will be.”  Lee told her.  “I want you two to be just down the street, ready to come in when I need you.”

“What’s your plan?”  Billy asked.

Lee looked back down at the building plans.  “I’ll know when I get there.”  He said truthfully as he headed for the door.  “You all just make sure to have an ambulance on stand by for Amanda and a team in place at the factory.  I’ll do the rest.”

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The night was eerily dark as Lee stood in the shadows cast by the small copse of trees behind the old office building.  That suited him just fine. 

He’d canvassed the building when he got there and determined there were at least two people moving around inside.  He’d seen the silhouettes of two men in the back right corner of the building.  In the left corner, where he believed Amanda was, he saw a high window with a dim light shining through it. 

Taking one more look around him, Lee glanced at his watch.  It was a little after nine and he knew he’d better make his move soon before they decided to pull Amanda from the building and take her to the factory. Pulling his cap down low, Lee sprinted across the small parking area in the back and jumped into the bushes besides the building.

“Did you hear something?”  A low male voice asked from just on the other side of the wall, Lee was leaning on. 

“No.” Another, even lower voice, answered.  “What are you so jumpy about?  There’s no way Stetson or anyone else could know she’s here.  Anyway, we’ll be leaving in a little bit and then she won’t be here.”  He snickered then.  “She won’t be anywhere.”

“Yeah, well I’ll be glad when this is over.” The first voice answered.  “I don’t like any part of this.  Hurting that woman the way we did was bad enough, I sure don’t like the idea of killing her.”

Lee’s jaw clenched tightly in anger as he listened to the men talk about hurting Amanda and he wanted to do more than that to them in return.

“You’ll forget all about that woman and Stetson too as soon as Regal pays us.”  The second man chuckled. “Which reminds me, we need to start getting ready to go.  Boss should be calling us pretty soon.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”  The first man said. 

Lee knew it was then or never.  He didn’t want Amanda caught up in a firefight if it came to that.  He needed to take care of those two men before they got her out of that room.  Stepping out of the bushes, he squared his shoulders, raised his gun and kicked the rather flimsy back door in, throwing himself in as he did so.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**The Bomb 13**

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As Lee launched himself in to the room, he tucked himself into a ball and rolled past the men who, for a just a second, were too stunned to do anything.  But all too quickly they recovered and both men reached for guns. 

Lee shot the one on his left, without hesitation, as the villain had brought a gun to bear on the agent’s head. The other made a try for his weapon, which he’d stupidly left lying on a desk, but Lee was too quick.  Springing back to his feet, Lee landed two swift, hard punches to the man’s jaw before whirling around and kicking the man’s legs out from under him.

Taking just a moment to catch his breath, Lee stepped over to the first kidnapper and checked his pulse. Finding nothing but a key in the man’s hand, which he grabbed, he quickly checked the second one.  He was alive, but would be out for a while.  That suited Lee just fine.

His first impulse right then was to find Amanda, but he needed to make sure there was no one else in the building.  He wouldn’t be able to deal with any more bad guys if he had an injured woman in his arms. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small black box, pulled up the antenna and punched a couple of buttons.

“Billy.”  He whispered into the box.  “I’ve got two of them.  I’m going to check out the rest of the building.  Give me a couple of minutes then come in.”

“Will do, Scarecrow.” He heard Billy respond.

Replacing the box into his pocket, Lee quickly checked out the other rooms in the building, before returning to the back rooms.  He was confident there was no one else.  Taking a deep breath, he ran down the hallway to where he figured Amanda could be found.

His heart was racing as he imagined what kind of shape she could be in.  They’d hurt her, he remembered one of those men saying.  But how badly was she hurt?  “Oh, God.”  He prayed silently as he ran.  “Please.” 

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Amanda sat up carefully on the side of the cot, so as not to jar her arm or ribs.  One of the men had returned after she’d come to and left her a tray, with a pitcher of water and a glass.  Nothing more.  She’d once again asked what they intended to do with her, but her pleas had been ignored.  The masked fiend had simply sat down the tray and quietly left.

Slowly pouring herself a glass of the water, she took a long drink before setting the glass back down.  She kept going over her situation, trying to find a way out but so far, she’d come up blank.  The door was solid metal and the window was up high and too small to get through, even if she’d been physically able to attempt it.  And she knew she was nowhere near able to try that.

Briefly, she thought about breaking the water glass and using the broken glass as a weapon, but how?  She only had one usable arm and though taller than most women, she was by far a lot smaller than the men who currently surrounded her.

As she sat there, she thought she heard noises coming from somewhere in the building, but they were muffled by the thick walls and heavy door of her jail.  “Could it be…?”  She thought hopefully, but just as quickly squelched that hope.  She knew if she were to survive she’d need to be realistic and not daydream of a rescue from Lee.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

As he pleaded with God for his Amanda, Lee realized that he had finally reached the point to where he could admit to himself that he cared about her.  And that thought was staggering enough.  But the thought of something happening to her, before he could reach the point of telling her was crippling. 

Reaching the end of the hallway, he inserted the key into the lock of the metal door to his right and turned the handle.  The room was empty.  Stepping back out, he crossed the hallway and tried again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Amanda thought once again of trying for some sort of escape, but she’d reached the conclusion now, that it was probably impossible.  Whatever these men were going to do to her, she was not going to be able to stop them.  Her mind centered on her mother and her little boys.  “Oh how I wish I could see them again.”  She whispered to herself.  She wondered how her boys would deal with her death, for she was certain that was what was going to happen.  They would most likely go to live with their father and though Joe was a good man, she wasn’t sure how that would work.  Didn’t matter, she wouldn’t be alive to stop it.  She also thought about Lee, the tall, handsome man who’d stolen her heart.  Would he miss her?  “Lord!” she silently prayed. “I wish I could see him again.  I wish I could stop this.”

Idly she thought about one of her idols as a girl growing up.  Although her favorite western had been Maverick, she had always kind of idolized the courageous, red headed Kitty Russell on Gunsmoke. “Wonder what Miss Kitty would do?”  She said out loud without realizing it.

“Well, I’m not sure what Miss Kitty would do.”  Lee said from the doorway.  “But you’re going to get out of here.”

Amanda’s head jerked up and she looked in shock at the image of Lee Stetson standing at the door, a gentle smile on his face.  “Lee?”  She swallowed hard, blinking furiously, not sure she could believe her eyes.  “Lee?” She asked again.

Lee swiftly crossed the room and bent down to help her to her feet.  “It’s me, Amanda.  I’m gonna take you out of here.  You think you can walk?”

Rapidly Amanda nodded her head, unable to speak for the moment at the sight of Lee being there, coming to her rescue, as he had so many times before, as she had prayed he would.

“Good,” he said wrapping an arm around her waist.  “Let’s go.”

Amanda nodded again and took a step but her strength failed her just then and she started to sink.

Swiftly, Lee wrapped his arms around her and swept her up.  “Its okay, Amanda.”  He said gently as he carried her out of the room and down the hall.  “You’re safe now.  It’s all going to be okay.”

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**The Bomb 14**

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When Lee got Amanda back to the room by the back door, he carefully sat her on a chair by the desk and reached for the black box in his pocket to call Billy.  “Billy.”  He smiled down at her.  “Come on in.”

Amanda had gasped when she saw the two men sprawled out onto the floor, but she shrieked when she saw one of them begin to get up behind Lee.  “Lee!” She screamed as she grabbed the first thing she could find, a ceramic coffee mug and threw it at man.

Lee heard her cry and looked up just in time to see her fling the mug in his direction.  Ducking out of the way, he whirled around behind him when he heard a groan and saw the man, he thought was still unconscious, sink back to the floor, the imprint of the coffee mug on his forehead.

Swallowing hard, he looked over at Amanda in amazement.  “Even hurt, you’ve got my back.”  He said with awe in his voice as the sound reached them of squealing brakes and slamming doors.

Within minutes the place was swarming with agents and an ambulance crew who refused to let Amanda even attempt to move until they had her strapped to a gurney. 

Lee’s mind was in a swirl as he stood there trying to answer Billy’s questions.  He didn’t want to answer questions.   He wanted to stay with Amanda.  But as he watched them wheel her out towards the door and the waiting ambulance, he stayed where he was.  He felt he had an even bigger responsibility to take care of first.

Stopping them at the door, Lee took Amanda’s right hand.  ‘You hang in there, huh?  I’ve got something, I’ve got to do and then I’ll come straight to the hospital.  I promise.”

Amanda tugged tightly on Lee’s hand, pleadingly.  “Lee, please don’t…” 

“It’ll be alright, Amanda.”  He gave her a reassuring smile.  “Don’t worry about a thing.”

Amanda wanted to continue to protest but reluctantly released his hand as she was transported outside.  She knew she was neither physically or emotionally capable right then of dissuading him or going with him.

Billy watched the two for a moment before stepping up next to Lee.  Since we’ve got Amanda back now, I’ll call in a strike on the factory.  No need for you to go.”

Lee raised angry eyes to his boss and friend.  “No need?  They almost killed her, Billy.  I’d say there’s a pretty big need for me to take care of this, for me to take care of Max Regal for good.”

“You try that, Scarecrow, and I’ll have you scooched in a heartbeat.”  Billy practically roared.  “I’ve told you this before and I will say it again.  I will not have you going out there on some sort of personal vendetta.  You either do this by the book or you go home.” 

“Billy…,”  Lee raked his hand through his hair, pacing away then coming back.  “I  _have_ to do this.  Please.  It’s me Regal was trying to get at and it’s me he’s expecting.”

“Not anymore.”  Francine said as she stepped up beside the two men glaring at each other.

“What?”  Billy turned towards her.

“Mr. Nothing Can Keep Me Down over there,” she pointed to the man that both Lee and Amanda had knocked out, “says that if he and his dead partner don’t show up at that factory by eleven with Amanda, his boss will take off.  He said he didn’t expect you to find her but he’s not going to take any chances.”

“Well, that won’t help him.”  Billy shrugged.  “We know who he is and we now have one of his men to testify against him so even if he runs, it’ll be a simple matter of picking Max Regal up at home or work.”

“Not really.”  Francine looked at both of them with a look of worry.

“What does that mean?”  Lee asked gruffly.

“I showed him a picture of Max Regal and he said that’s not his boss, is what that means.”  Francine t0ld him. “He said he only saw the man once but he knows it’s not Max.”

“Well, than who…?”  Lee and Billy both started to ask as Francine waved them off. 

“I don’t know but I know how to find out.”  She looked at Lee.  “No matter what you say, I feel like I bungled it when I let those men come in and take her.  So I feel like I need to do something to help fix this.  I have an idea I think will work, if you’ll go along with it.”

“What do you have in mind, Francine?”  Billy asked.

“Simple.”  Francine brightened a little.  “I go in Amanda’s place.  I still have that brunette wig in the trunk of my car and I can get clothes like Amanda was wearing.  You two can dress like those two goons and take me there.  We’ve already got our team in place out there, so there shouldn’t be too much danger in the catching of whoever is behind this.”

Billy looked at his agent with a fond smile.  Until Amanda had come on the scene, he’d always thought there couldn’t possibly be a better female agent than Francine Desmond.  And he still counted her as ranking right up there. 

Turning to Lee, he studied him for a moment.  He could see the emotions working their way through him and knew how badly he wanted to get the man who’d hurt Amanda King and tear him from limb to limb.  But he needed to know that Lee would be able to do this without killing the man or getting himself or someone else killed. 

Lee understood Billy’s hesitation.  Taking a deep breath, he met him eye to eye.  “I can’t promise, I won’t try to beat him to a pulp, when I get a hold of him.”  He said truthfully.  “But I promise, I won’t kill him and when you step in, I’ll stop.  But you can’t hold me out of this, Billy.  You can’t.”

Billy nodded and favored both his agents with a smile.  “Let’s go get the bad guy, shall we?”

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

**The Bomb 15**

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When they rolled onto the grounds of the old Chesapeake Pipe Factory, Lee thought about the last time he’d been there just a few months prior.  He and Amanda, even though she wasn’t supposed to be there, had gone to stop a man who was trying to steal classified and declassified documents from J Edgar Hoover’s files to sell.

Shaking his head, he remembered her literally backing her car into the path of his hostage’s car.  He didn’t know too many women like Amanda and it killed him what had been done to her by some faceless, monster who wasn’t worthy to breath.  ‘Well,’ he thought to himself. ‘He won’t be breathing too long, if I can help it.’

They arrived at the factory just a few minutes before eleven.  Lee and Billy stepped from the car and opened the back door. Reaching in, they drug a seemingly very injured woman from the back seat and started marching her in the direction, given them, by the man they had in custody.

All three agents were aware of the eyes on them, from both sides, and they made sure to make as few missteps as possible.  Lee and Billy were not gentle to Francine and she kept her head down, making sure to groan appropriately from time to time.

Once they reached the side of the building, a man, dressed as they were and wearing a mask similar to theirs, stepped out of the shadows and greeted them.  “You have any problems?”  He asked the two masked men before him, as they gripped the swaying woman between them.

“No.”  Billy answered not wanting to say too much for fear he’d notice the difference in voices.

“Good.” The man nodded.  “Come on, then.  Boss is waiting for her.”

Lee and Billy exchanged glances as they followed behind, dragging Francine with them.

The man led them down the side of the side of the long brick building and to a flight of stairs.  Swiftly he climbed to the upper level and waited, somewhat impatiently, while the trio of agents, playing their parts to the hilt, clambered up behind him.  “Go on in.”  The man opened the door for them.  “The boss is anxious to get this over with.”

When they entered the dimly lit room, they saw a man near the one lone window, of what had probably been a small office.  His back was to them, and he didn’t turn when he heard them come in, but instantly Lee recognized the man.

“I’m glad you’re on time,” the man said without looking away from the window.  “Stetson should be here anytime now.  He won’t wait until midnight.”

“You’re right, he won’t.” Lee snarled as he ripped the mask from his face and rushed towards the man, tackling him to the floor.

At the sound of a large thud created by the man, when he fell, a door, on the opposite of the room, opened and two men came in, guns raised.  Billy let go of Francine and immediately went for his own gun.  But one of the goons was on him before he could clear it and Billy had to side step him then bring all of his, not inconsiderable, weight down on him to keep from being shot. 

Francine, seeing the other man running towards her, took a step backwards but instantly felt the door, behind her.  Seeing only one opportunity to fell him, she allowed him to close in, before raising a knee to his groan and a well-honed heel to his instep.  He went down without too much protest. 

As Billy and Francine were struggling with their own villains, Lee pulled the man he was fighting with, up by the scruff of the neck and punched him as hard as he could. Most men would’ve crumpled with the impact, but not this one.  This returned the blow and took off, running madly from the room through the door left open by his men.

Lee was on his heels in a second and quickly caught up with him, just as he reached the far wall.  Grabbing him by the jacket, Lee spun him around and punched him again, and again and again.  The man was, by this time, fairly well out of it.  But Lee didn’t seem to notice when he raised his fist to hit him yet again.

He might have continued until the man was beyond redemption, had Billy not reached him, taking his arm before he could land another blow.  “Lee, Lee.  It’s over.”  Billy said loudly and sternly.  “It’s over.  Let him go.”

For several seconds the two froze in place, Lee refusing to let the man go and Billy refusing to release Lee’s arm.  “Don’t you think Amanda would like to see you at her side, instead of in a jail cell?”  He asked Lee quietly.

That worked to get through to the angry and anguished agent.  Taking a ragged breath, Lee let go of the already senseless man and watched disinterestedly as he slid down the wall, to fall on the floor in a lump of misshapen flesh.

Billy held onto Lee’s arm for a moment longer, needing to make sure he didn’t go for the man’s throat again, before finally, he released him and stepped back.  Looking down at the now unconscious villain, Billy thought he recognized him, despite Lee’s attempts at reorganizing his face.  “Is that…?”

“Yeah,” Lee answered in disgust.  “It’s Adolph Jurganson.”

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

**The Bomb Epilogue**

**SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK**

Lee sat stiffly in the hospital room, holding tightly to Amanda's right hand as he watched her sleep. Although the old pipe factory was still swarming with agents, and he had yet to be debriefed, Billy had waved a few regulations so that Lee could go to the hospital first and check on Amanda.

He'd been there now for three hours. The nurse had told him that when she was brought in, they had to sedate her to keep from trying to get up and leave. Smiling at that, he realized that even seriously hurt, she would back him up, if she could get to him. "You're some woman, Amanda King." He brought her hand up and softly kissed it.

Amanda woke to the feel of Lee's lips on her knuckles. Opening her eyes, she looked over to see him smiling at her. "We've got to quit meeting like this, Scarecrow." She said, softly returning the smile.

Lee nodded as he sat up and moved closer. "Yeah, I guess we should. How about the back of your place next time?"

"That's a deal, Pal." She wanted to say more, do more, but the narcotics in her system drug her back down into the darkness. Closing her eyes, she drifted back to sleep with a smile on her face.

Lee reached over and brushed a lock of hair from her bruised forehead, before gently replacing it with a kiss.

Billy stepped into the room just then and watched them for a moment before speaking. "Lee."

Lee continued to watch Amanda as he answered. "She woke up a minute ago. She sounded good. The doctor said she'd be alright in time. She's got a broken arm and now two broken ribs. But she'll be okay."

Billy heard the love and relief in Lee's voice and wondered if Lee knew how plain it was to others. "I'm glad to hear that, Scarecrow. But we've got to get out of here. I called her mother. She's going to be here in a few minutes and I don't think we should be here, when she arrives."

"Why'd you call her?" Lee asked, irritated at having to leave and giving Billy a scowl.

"Because, she's her mother and Amanda's going to need her." Billy told him. "Besides, as badly hurt, as Amanda was, we can't keep her family out of it any longer. Come on, Lee. We still have some clean-up to do on this case and you need to be debriefed. Besides, as you said, Amanda is going to be fine."

Reluctantly, Lee placed another kiss on Amanda's knuckles then relinquished her hand and rose from his chair. For just a second he hesitated, seriously wanting to kiss more than her hand. But Billy's presence behind him, brought him up short. Taking one look at her sleeping face, he turned and followed Billy from the room.

Just as they reached the elevators, one of them opened and a small blond dynamo, by the name of Dotty West, came barreling out, heading straight for the nurse's station. "I want to know where my daughter is." She declared as she arrived, startling the nurses sitting there. "Her name is Amanda King. Take me to her right now."

"See?" Billy grinned and slapped Lee on the shoulder. "I told you, Amanda would be fine. With her mother here, she has no choice."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**(Two weeks later)**

Amanda walked into the kitchen for a glass of water when she heard a soft tapping on the window. Looking up, she saw Lee's smiling face on the other side. Stepping over, she opened the door and ushered him in. "Come on in." She greeted him happily. "Mom's out with Captain Curt and the boys are with Joe, so it's safe."

"Good." Lee answered gratefully; it was a little chilly outside and she looked so warm and inviting. "How are you feeling?" He gently touched the fading bruises on her face and the cast on her left arm.

"Oh, I'm alright." Amanda answered. "My side's still a little sore but it's nothing really."

"Has your mother let up on you yet, about your dangerous job with the film company?" Billy had told him, that when he'd called her mother to tell her that Amanda was in the hospital, that he'd told her she'd been hurt in an accident while on location. If he knew anything about Dotty West, and by now he did, Lee was pretty sure, she was now campaigning to get Amanda to quit.

Amanda looked at him in surprise. "How did you know what she told me?"

Lee chuckled. "I've been watching her from there," he jerked his thumb to the window behind him, "for some time. Besides you've told me before how she feels about the impressive list of injuries you've acquired since you started working for IFF." He paused, ruefully thinking of that. "Injuries you shouldn't have gotten. Amanda, I am so sorry…"

Amanda shook her head. "Lee, we've been through this before. I choose to do this. Now look, I can handle my mother and I am fine, honestly. But how about you? I haven't seen much of you since I got out of the hospital."

Lee couldn't resist pulling her into his arms. "I know." He answered apologetically. "And I'm sorry about that too. I had a lot to do to finish up the case. But it's done now and I wanted to come by and let you know how it all turned out."

As Lee spoke, he almost unconsciously pulled her just a little bit closer. He just couldn't get over how good it felt to hold her like this.

"I already know some of it." Amanda told him, enjoying the embrace as much as he was. "Mr. Melrose called me. He said that the man who called you to that house was working for and killed by a man called Adolph Jurganson and that he was trying to kill you and get rid of evidence that you'd collected on him."

"Yeah," Lee sighed. "His plan at first was simple, get rid of me and probably no one else would come looking then he'd be free to do whatever he wanted. Only it didn't work. You got caught in the bombing and he had to come up with another idea. So, he had you kidnapped instead and tried to use you as bait to get me and the files I'd compiled."

Amanda nodded. "Mr. Melrose told me that much. But he didn't tell me how Max Regal figured in all of this?"

Lee shook his head. "He didn't, not really." He reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "The information Rhonda, at the station, gave me was accurate but not complete. What Rhonda heard had nothing to do with the bombing. Apparently, Max was chafing at having to work for his uncle and was in that part of town trying to reconnect and get some sort of job in the intelligence community. When he mentioned our names, it was in attempt to get a job interview. He thought our names might be able to unlock doors."

"Then who was involved with Jurganson?" Amanda asked wishing she could be in Lee's arms like this forever.

"It was Max Regal's uncle, Gerald Regal." Lee answered wishing he never had to let her go.

"His uncle?" Amanda looked at him in confusion. "The manufacturing company's owner?"

Lee nodded with a shrug. "Yeah, he apparently over extended himself on his new building and some other unwise investments and thought he could make some quick money with Jurganson."

"How'd they know I was at your apartment?' She asked.

"Rag Mop." Lee answered. "He heard Francine and Billy talking about taking you there. He didn't think about it being wrong, to repeat things like that. So he mentioned it to his new girlfriend who just happened to be one of Jurganson's employees. She was a plant and wasn't really interested in Rag Mop at all. Just about broke his heart to find that out."

Without thinking about it, Amanda laid her head on Lee's chest, thinking about the men who'd almost killed her and had wanted Lee dead and would purposely hurt a poor soul like Rag Mop. "That's so dreadful." She shivered slightly in his arms.

Instinctively, Lee hugged her even tighter. "Yeah, it is. But it's over with now and you're home safe, where you belong. And to me that's all that matters."

Amanda pulled back to look up at him. "It is?" She swallowed hard at what that could mean. "Lee? What exactly do you mean by, that's all that matters?" She watched him closely.

Lee Stetson was a well trained agent who could put on any mask he wanted and make you believe any story he was trying to sell you. But for some reason, Amanda always saw beneath his masks. She saw his heart, no matter how hard he tried to hide it from her view. Barriers he'd taken years to construct, and had been so effective in keeping out even the most persistent of female admirers, had proven to be little challenge for Amanda King.

Looking down at her now, Lee realized how completely she had demolished his defenses. But was he ready to tell her?"

"Amanda," he said softly kissing her forehead. "I…"

Just then, the front door opened. "Amanda, Darling?" Dotty's voice could be heard as she entered. "I came home early. Captain Curt wasn't feeling well."

"Lee…" Amanda quickly pulled away. "My mother!"

"I'll see you later, Amanda." Lee said, hastily disappearing through the back door.

Amanda closed her eyes, for a moment, in irritation. She had the distinctive feeling that Lee was about to tell her something. Something really important. But once again, circumstances contrived to intervene and prevent it. Shaking her head, she pasted on a smile and turned her head to greet her mother.

As Lee drove away from Amanda's neighborhood, he too shook his head in irritation but not at the interruption. He was irritated at himself for almost speaking of something he was still very wary of.

That he loved Amanda, he was becoming certain of. But he was uncertain that he should tell her that. They had a one of a kind friendship and he didn't want to lose that. He didn't want to lose her. "Naw." He said aloud to himself. "Unless we're on the run for our lives, I think I need to keep my feelings to myself. For a while, at least."

The End


End file.
